


Strunk & White, Revised Edition

by leupagus



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Epistolary
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-23
Updated: 2016-12-23
Packaged: 2018-09-11 11:08:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8977204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leupagus/pseuds/leupagus
Summary: TO: Commander Spock, USS Enterprise NC-1701FROM: Sybok, Vulcan Embassy, San Francisco, EarthRE: T’Pringlol





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [screamlet](https://archiveofourown.org/users/screamlet/gifts), [waldorph](https://archiveofourown.org/users/waldorph/gifts).



***

 

TO: Councilor T'Pring, High Council, H'voreth, New Vulcan  
FROM: Commander Spock, USS Enterprise NC-1701  
RE: Report of mission 8913/Stardate 78.917

Councilor,

Please find attached a copy of Starfleet's report as issued by Captain James Kirk and sent to you as per request of the High Council.

Regards,

Commander Spock

* * *

TO: Commander Spock, USS Enterprise NC-1701

FROM: Councilor T'Pring, High Council, H'voreth, New Vulcan  
RE: Report of mission 8913/Stardate 78.917

Spock—

Acknowledged.

—T'Pring

* * *

TO: Councilor T'Pring, High Council, H'voreth, New Vulcan  
FROM: Commander Spock, USS Enterprise NC-1701  
RE: Report of mission 8914/Stardate 79.002

Councilor,

Please find attached a copy of Starfleet's report as issued by Captain James Kirk and sent to you as per request of the High Council.

Regards,

Commander Spock

* * *

TO: Commander Spock, USS Enterprise NC-1701  
FROM: Councilor T'Pring, High Council, H'voreth, New Vulcan  
RE: Report of mission 8914/Stardate 79.002

Spock—

Acknowledged.

—T'Pring

* * *

TO: Councilor T'Pring, High Council, H'voreth, New Vulcan  
FROM: Commander Spock, USS Enterprise NC-1701  
RE: Report of mission 8915/Stardate 81.408

Councilor,

Please find attached a copy of Starfleet's report as issued by Captain James Kirk and sent to you as per request of the High Council.

Regards,

Commander Spock

* * *

TO: Commander Spock, USS Enterprise NC-1701

FROM: Councilor T'Pring, High Council, H'voreth, New Vulcan  
RE: Report of mission 8915/Stardate 81.408

Spock—

It is unnecessary to devote time and energy in repeating the same phrase in every report sent; I am aware of the request of the High Council as well as Starfleet's agreement to said request, as I was the one who arranged it. In future you need not add this extraneous and repetitive information.

—T'Pring

* * *

TO: Councilor T'Pring, High Council, H'voreth, New Vulcan

FROM: Commander Spock, USS Enterprise NC-1701  
RE: Report of mission 8916/Stardate 78.917

Councilor,

Please find attached a copy of Starfleet's report as issued by Captain James Kirk and sent to you as per request of the High Council.

Regards,

Commander Spock

* * *

TO: Sybok, Vulcan Embassy, San Francisco, Earth

FROM: Councilor T'Pring, High Council, H'voreth, New Vulcan  
RE: Your brother

Sybok—

I will be traveling to Earth next month and request an appointment to discuss how best to deal with Commander Spock.

—T'Pring

* * *

TO: Councilor T'Pring, High Council, H'voreth, New Vulcan

FROM: Sybok, Vulcan Embassy, San Francisco, Earth  
RE: My brother

oh god what shitfit did he throw this time

* * *

TO: Sybok, Vulcan Embassy, San Francisco, Earth

FROM: Councilor T'Pring, High Council, H'voreth, New Vulcan  
RE: Your grammar

Sybok—

I have noted in the past that your singular approach to the Vulcan language, whereby you abolish all punctuation and capitalization, often make it a challenge to parse your meaning. However, I have deduced with a moderate assurance of success (I took the liberty of confirming my hypothesis with your father — _see addendum_ ) that you are inquiring as to what action in particular Commander Spock took that spurred my request for a consultation.

To answer, he has been conducting himself in a manner that on its surface is entirely professional but which upon closer examination clearly takes exception to my recent request to be copied on all Starfleet reports from ships carrying Vulcans. I explained to him several months ago that even though he is only a half-Vulcan, he is still genetically viable to our race and furthermore has acquitted himself with astonishing adequacy in his career thus far in Starfleet; this, in addition to the invaluable data provided by his counterpart Ambassador Spock before he died six months ago, persuaded me that the _Enterprise_ should be included in the Vulcan High Command's request. One would assume that such consideration would have given him satisfaction.

Instead he has been cooperative only so far as he is required by Starfleet's command, and seems to hold a certain amount of ill-will toward me. I would appreciate any assistance in resolving this matter so that I will no longer have to deal with it.

 _Addendum:_ Your father sends his regards and wishes me to remind you that the sixtieth anniversary of Amanda Grayson's birth is approaching next month, and since you shared what he admits is a rather human tendency toward fondness for each other, he expects your attendance at the celebration to be held in a place called **V E R M O N T** , I believe. He did not elucidate why one would celebrate the birth anniversary of someone, let alone someone who is dead, but I assume it is a human tradition.

—T’Pring

* * *

TO: Councilor T'Pring, High Council, H'voreth, New Vulcan

FROM: Sybok, Vulcan Embassy, San Francisco, Earth  
RE: My brother 

the grammar thing is just me blending in with these crazy earthlings

did you know human standard removed almost all punctuation a few hundred years ago

figured it was easier to write and if it was tougher to read that just meant people had to read more closely

anyways yeah spock has been and ever shall be a pain in the ass

see you when you get here

* * *

TO: Commander Spock, USS Enterprise NC-1701  
FROM: Sybok, Vulcan Embassy, San Francisco, Earth  
RE: Grasshopper

did literally every discussion I had about how to treat your exes go completely over your head

* * *

TO: Sybok, Vulcan Embassy, San Francisco, Earth

FROM: Commander Spock, USS Enterprise NC-1701  
RE: Grasshopper

What?

* * *

TO: Commander Spock, USS Enterprise NC-1701  
FROM: Sybok, Vulcan Embassy, San Francisco, Earth  
RE: Grasshopper

ugh nvm

 

*

 

The Vulcan embassy on Earth was a decidedly ostentatious affair, which T’Pring put down to respect for history. Vulcans had made First Contact with the human species — T’Pring’s grandmother, who had been on the expedition, had described the humans’ reaction as somewhat akin to a selhat being fed raw _id’chaen_ for three days straight — and thus humanity had ensured that the Vulcan people received the finest housing when relations were officially sanctioned.

“Yeah, most of the old reports in the archives are basically big long complaints about how hard it was to heat the place for the first decade or so,” Sybok said as he lead T’Pring to his office, pattering along serenely in a long traditional robe and some very strange footwear that left his feet almost entirely exposed. T’Pring was so distracted by this that she almost missed his next comment, “That and the complaints about how oversexed all these weird humans were.”

“How excuse me?” T’Pring said. “And what are those contraptions on your feet?”

“You’re excused,” he replied bemusedly, “Although I don’t know what you did. And these,” he said, picking up a foot and waving it around as one might if one had stepped in something foul, “Are flip-flops. Great, right?”

“They make noise when you walk,” she said.

“That they do, Councilor. Nothing gets past you these days. So,” he said, arriving at his office and gesturing for her to enter ahead of him, “About your problem with my brother.”

“And his reports.”

“Of course,” Sybok said.

T’Pring took a moment to examine the office; in the five years since her abrupt and somewhat unwelcome elevation from science professor at the Vulcan Academy to member of the High Council and head of the New Vulcan Academy (a position she achieved not through merit but due to the fact that she had been the only faculty to survive the Tevakh), she had been in thousands of offices all over the galaxy and had begun drawing up notes for a paper on the cross-species similarities in both form and function. She expected to be able to publish within the next few decades, after a suitable research period.

Sybok’s office was difficult to immediately define as an office, in fact; the room was brightly lit by a large bay of windows and was more or less completely overrun by plant life. And, T’Pring discovered as she tried to sit down, animal life as well. “What is this?” he asked as a creature, approximately a third of a meter long and covered in fur, yawned at her.

“It’s a _khat_ ,” Sybok told her, the human word unfamiliar to her. He pointed at what T’Pring had assumed was another sort of plant, given its inert attitude on the floor, but which raised what she realized was a head at the sound of Sybok’s voice. “That’s a _dohg_.”

“Do they serve as guardians?”

Sybok gave this question less weight than she would have expected; he laughed. “Very much no. They don’t serve as anything much. But they’re cute.”

“What does cute—“ but T’Pring had come here for a purpose and she was determined to see it through. “As I said in my communication, I am endeavoring to better understand the reason for Spock’s…” she could find no suitable word in Vulcan, and recalled one occasionally employed by Dr. Grayson when discussing intradepartmental disputes, “Bitchitude.”

Sybok, who had been about to sit down, missed the chair. The _dohg_ , now roused from its torpor, got up and went to examine him — T’Pring assumed it was for injury. Perhaps _dohgs_ had medical training. “I’ll never understood how you two kids couldn’t make it work,” he said, wheezing slightly from the floor.

“ _He_ declared koon-ut-kal-if-fee,” T’Pring pointed out. She wondered if there was a word for it in Standard or in one of the Terran languages. During one of her many interviews with Ambassador Spock (who had been considerably more cordial to her, despite his disclosure that in his timeline she had been the one to break the bond, in favor of a man named Stonn. T’Pring had searched the database — Stonn, whoever he’d been, had died in the Tevakh, but his life’s summary had been one of intriguing potential; T’Pring had been irritated for weeks afterward, with this unwelcome knowledge of a lifemate she’d lost before meeting), the ambassador had mentioned a phrase used by the Dr. McCoy of his own universe: “burning his shit on the front lawn.” It had seemed similarly extreme.

“And you were kind enough not to kill his girlfriend,” Sybok agreed.

T’Pring frowned. “With the population regulations in place, koon-ut-kal-if-fee is no longer permitted to result in death,” she reminded him. “And although Lieutenant Uhura is not Vulcan, it seemed illogical, not to mention unsporting, to kill her.”

“Well,” said Sybok, “That, and you lost.”

“I _chose_ to lose,” she said. A thought occurred to her. “Is that the source of his resentment? Would he have preferred I had triumphed?”

“I think,” he said slowly, “That he might not be aware exactly _why_ you chose to lose, as you put it. He might think it has something to do with your comment about how, despite being just a half-Vulcan, he was still suitably valuable to your people to be worth keeping tabs on?”

“I had assumed talking with you face to face would make your remarks easier to understand,” she said. “Clearly this was in error.”

Sybok sighed. “Do you keep tabs on me?” he asked, in an apparent change of subject.

“We monitor your activities and take steps to ensure your well-being,” T’Pring answered, unsure of the purpose of the question.

“And you do that despite the fact that I’m probably the shittiest Vulcan in the galaxy.”

“Such a ranking would be relatively easy to achieve,” she pointed out, “Since there are only 12,593 of us.”

“Did Ulaya and Paav have their baby early?” Sybok asked, temporarily distracted.

“No, H’Lath and Nwal had twins.”

“Mazel Tov,” Sybok cheered, before getting back to the topic at hand. “But my point is that _all_ Vulcans are considered valuable right now, but you’ve lead Spock to believe that you consider him valuable solely because of his accomplishments; that his human heritage lessens him in some way.”

“It is not his human heritage,” T’Pring protested, “But his medical records, as well as the late ambassador’s personal testimony, have conclusively shown him to be sterile. He will be unable to contribute to our population—“

“But you keep track of Vulcans who are too old to have children, or who aren’t able for other reasons, don’t you?” Sybok pointed out.

“I… yes, we do,” she said. “Thank you for exposing the flaw in our logic. I had not considered that before.”

“Happy to help,” said Sybok, finally getting up from the floor, where he had been patting the _dohg_ ; his robes were now covered in the same short, brown fur from the animal. “Now you can send him a nice fruit basket and we’ll all be fine.”

T’Pring very much doubted that was the case, but she made note of it anyway as she stood to leave. “Thank you for your time and your… perspective, Sybok,” she said. “Shall I pass along any information to your father when next I see him?”

“I’ll see him in a couple weeks,” Sybok said, shrugging. “There’s Amanda’s thing — Dr. Grayson,” he added, as though T’Pring might need clarification.

“Yes, the anniversary of her birthday.” T’Pring hesitated. “I wish to ask — what is the purpose of such a memorial? Surely there is little logic in commemorating the birth of someone who has died.”

Sybok cocked his head at her. “You want to come and find out?” he asked.

 

*

 

TO: Councilor T'Pring, High Council, H'voreth, New Vulcan  
FROM: Commander Spock, USS Enterprise NC-1701  
RE: Gift 

Councilor,

Thank you for the thoughtful gift; it arrived in good order and has been appreciated by all who have shared in the bounty.

Regards,

Spock

* * *

TO: Sybok, Vulcan Embassy, San Francisco, Earth  
FROM: Commander Spock, USS Enterprise NC-1701  
RE: T’Pring

Why did T’Pring send me a basket of Terran fruit? Along with a treatise about how scurvy can lead to hallucination and dementia? What did you say to her?

* * *

TO: Commander Spock, USS Enterprise NC-1701  
FROM: Sybok, Vulcan Embassy, San Francisco, Earth  
RE: T’Pring

lol

* * *

TO: Commander Spock, USS Enterprise NC-1701  
FROM: Sybok, Vulcan Embassy, San Francisco, Earth  
RE: ps

she’s coming to mom’s birthday thing since you’re in the middle of fuckswhereville

i’ll send you the selfies

* * *

TO: Sybok, Vulcan Embassy, San Francisco, Earth  
FROM: Councilor T'Pring, High Council, H'voreth, New Vulcan  
RE: Upcoming Celebration

Sybok,

I have been researching human birthday traditions, and it appears that a gift is considered appropriate if not compulsory. Since Dr. Grayson is dead, should I instead bring a present for Ambassador Sarek? Or would you or Spock be more suitable recipeients?

* * *

TO: Councilor T'Pring, High Council, H'voreth, New Vulcan  
FROM: Sybok, Vulcan Embassy, San Francisco, Earth  
RE: Upcoming Celebration

oh for sure get something for me

spock won’t be there and seriously what could you get dad that he doesn’t already have seven of and/or will consider frivolous

* * *

TO: Commander Spock, USS Enterprise NC-1701  
FROM: Sybok, Vulcan Embassy, San Francisco, Earth  
RE: ps ps

shit now she’s bringing us presents

I maaaaaaay be partially responsible for that

oh well hope I get something nice

* * *

TO: Sybok, Vulcan Embassy, San Francisco, Earth  
FROM: Commander Spock, USS Enterprise NC-1701  
RE: T’Pring

I did not realize the two of you were courting. Nyota and I offer you my congratulations; she wishes you to know that she would have advised you not to invite a prospective made to a memorial service as it does strike a somewhat morbid “first date” note. She adds that this is of course merely a human perspective, but I assured her that her advice was sound. Still, you two would make an imminently logical couple, I am certain.

And I will be happy to send T’Pring a list of suitable gifts for you and for Father.

* * *

TO: Commander Spock, USS Enterprise NC-1701  
FROM: Sybok, Vulcan Embassy, San Francisco, Earth  
RE: FYI

hey did you know what old man spock once told me

apparently in his universe nyota shacked up with scotty

just thought you should know

* * *

TO: Sybok, Vulcan Embassy, San Francisco, Earth  
FROM: Commander Spock, USS Enterprise NC-1701  
RE: FYI

What?

 

***

**Author's Note:**

> So this was screamlet's prompt:
> 
>  
> 
> _what's sybok up to these days?????? idk why but the wider look into life-outside-starfleet from STB made me think of sybok and how kind of in-demand he might be after the destruction of vulcan, like, since his brother is a big damn war hero thirty thousand times over, and he's this weird deadbeat mystic who hasn't been making a name for himself since the destruction of their planet/species- could be interesting??? i just wanna know what sybok's up to, even if he just rolls into town/the enterprise to crash with spock for a hot minute and wreck his shit!!!!_
> 
>  
> 
> And this was waldorph's:
> 
>  
> 
> _assuming T'Pring survived Vulcan, tell me what that princess is up to. Is she scandalized Spock is slumming. Does she have one million toyboys. Is she rebuilding her planet in her grief, pulling together a host of the young to rebuild, because the old are too broken to manage it? IS SYBOK STILL AROUND, driving her insane until she sits on his face._
> 
>  
> 
> So like, what was I supposed to do?


End file.
